


It's a small world after all

by steveandbucky



Series: in any version of reality [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Police, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Childhood Friends, Cop Steve, Drinking, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Friends to Lovers, Hook-Up, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Pining, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 14:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4438400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steveandbucky/pseuds/steveandbucky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Natasha dare Steve to go up to a random guy at the bar and ask to "suck his dick". Steve reluctantly agrees, and is shocked to discover the stranger is not such a stranger after all...</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's a small world after all

“No, no. Forget about it, no way. I’m not doing that.”

Clint turns to look at Natasha and shrugs. “Told you he wouldn’t go for it.”

“Come on, you have nothing to lose.” Natasha says as she turns around and discreetly looks at the man in question. “I think he’d definitely accept.”

Steve buries his face in his hands; he should have known better than that. He takes a deep breath and in his sternest, most serious voice he says, “I’m not going to go up to a complete stranger and ask him if,” he lowers his voice, “If I can suck his dick!”

Natasha rolls her eyes. “Coward.”

“Nat, do you really think-”

“Fine.” Steve clenches his jaw.

Clint bursts out in laughter. “I can’t believe that worked!” he exclaims and high-fives Natasha who is smiling smugly. He turns to look at Steve who is giving them a deadly glare and his smile fades. “Look, in all seriousness, who knows what might happen? You might end up hitting it off!”

“Really? Is that how you two met?” Steve’s voice is dripping with sarcasm.

Clint laughs. “Of course not, you know we met at work – oh, wait, I get it.” He waves his hand dismissively. “Just go, or you lose the dare.”

Steve finishes off his drink in one swig in hopes of the alcohol going straight to his head so the awkwardness doesn’t make him back out of it. He slides down his bar stool and starts making his way through the crowd, heading towards the bar where the man Natasha had picked out, the one in the black leather jacket, is sitting. On his way there he rehearses the line in his head and cringes – there’s no way he can make it sound any less awful than it is. What a stupid, stupid dare. Where’s that black hole when he needs it to suddenly appear and swallow him up? He considers saying something different, just to show to Clint and Natasha that he can indeed flirt with a stranger, but he knows they’re both watching and that they both have outstanding lip-reading abilities.

Steve pauses a foot away from the guy and takes a deep breath. Okay, 1-2-3…

“Excuse me,”

Bad way to start the sentence.

The guy turns around and looks at Steve. Fuck, he’s gorgeous.

“Um, I was wondering…” Steve pauses. “If I could suck your dick.”

The guy doesn’t reply; he stares at Steve with a frown for a few moments and then cracks into a wide grin. “Stevie?!”

Shit, shit, shit. Steve starts panicking as he stands frozen in his spot, staring at the guy.

“It’s me, Bucky Barnes! Your next door neighbour?”

Of course, of course it’s his childhood friend, the one who lived next door to him; the one he sat next to on the school bus, the one he had an embarrassing crush on when they were teens, the one who moved away when they were fifteen and Steve sulked about for months.

“Bucky?” Steve asks in a low voice, while his mind is flooding with memories, thoughts, and questions.

Bucky stands up and throws his arms around Steve. “You remember me!”

“Of course I do.” Steve’s lips curls into a soft smile. The embrace is triggering long-buried feelings he had toward his friend, and among the whirlwind that’s going on in his head, Steve thinks that yes, he had definitely wanted to do all sorts of sexual acts with Bucky when he was younger. He abruptly pulls away, mentally cursing at his own brain. “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were back in New York.”

Bucky nods. “Oh I know, I’ve only been back a couple of months. I didn’t expect to run into you here!”

“Yeah, I’m here with some friends,” Steve turns and searches for Clint and Natasha in the crowd, who aren’t even hiding the fact that they’re watching Steve and Bucky’s interaction intensely. Steve turns to Bucky again. “Do you want to join us…?”

Steve regrets the invitation as soon as they reach their table and Natasha asks if it went well with a shit-eating grin on her face. The question gets ignored while Steve introduces Bucky to his friends and explains how they knew each other and how they lost touch with each other.

“I still can’t believe I run into you here!” Bucky is smiling from ear to ear again. “What are you doing now? Are you an astronaut? Please tell me you became an astronaut.”

Steve is blushing a deep crimson while Clint bursts out laughing. “You wanted to be an astronaut when you were a kid?”

Bucky nods. “Every Halloween between the ages of 8 and 11.”

“No, actually.” Steve clears his throat. His ears are still burning. “I work for the NYPD, I’m a detective. Yeah, 57th precinct. I work with Clint and Nat, actually.”

“Yup. New York’s finest!” Clint adds, raising his glass. “Especially Steve. He’s the star of the show.”

“Wow, good job, Stevie! I’m proud of you!” Bucky claps him on the shoulder and Steve blushes even harder.

“Stevie?” Natasha raises an eyebrow while Clint stares in disbelief.

“It’s an old nickname, let it go.”

“Well it fit you before,” Bucky turns to Steve’s friends. “He was so small, even as a teenager, people thought he was a kid.”

Steve groans in frustration.

“This is so going so much better than I could have ever hoped for.” Clint whispers to Natasha who smiles in response. “We’re going to need more drinks.” He hops off his seat and heads to the bar to get them all another round.

“I sure hope I’m not embarrassing you.” Bucky grins in a way that implies he’s not being sincere.

“No, I manage that just fine on my own.” Steve mumbles.

“Yeah, you kind of do.”

Steve nudges him and Bucky laughs for a moment. They fall silent until he speaks up again. “I almost didn’t recognise you though, you’ve changed so much.” There’s a hint of nostalgia in his voice, a sort of sadness.

Steve looks at him and smiles. “I had to grow up some time,” he shrugs.

“You’ve changed too.”

They look each other in silence for a long moment until Natasha, who had been watching their interaction, clears her throat and speaks up. “So what brings you back to your hometown, Bucky?”

Bucky sits up abruptly like snapping out of a daze. “Ah, well, I had to come back some time.” He shrugs. “I’m kind of doing the whole ‘new job, new place’ thing.”

“You looking for a place to stay? An apartment in my building just went on the market.” Clint returned with four bottles of apple cider. “But hold that thought, I want to make a toast.” He raises his bottle. “To Stevie.” He says, barely managing to hold back his laughter.

“That’s never going to get old,” Natasha clicks her bottle with his.

Clint turns to Bucky again. “Please come live in my building and tell me more embarrassing childhood stories of Steve.”

“I want in on that,” Natasha adds. “It’s been impossible to find any dirt on him.”

“Okay!” Steve stands up. “I’m calling a cab. It’s been a nightmare hanging out with you.”

“Aww, Steve, no.”

Natasha smiles like she knows something he doesn’t. Which in all fairness happens more often than not. “See you tomorrow,”

Steve resists the urge to flip them off.

“I can give you a ride home,” Bucky says as he gets up. “Just let me pay and we can go,”

As soon as Bucky leaves the table Clint and Natasha high five each other again, satisfied that their mission to get Steve laid has been successful.

“What are you two so happy about?” Steve frowns at them.

Natasha starts batting her eyelashes at him while Clint makes kissy noises.

“What? No! Me and Bucky…?” Steve looks away, which instantly gives him away. “God, you two are like children!”

He stomps off and Clint frowns. “Well he just uninvited himself from the awesome fort I’ve built at my place, but you’re welcome to join me.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s an all-naked fort.” Clint adds with a grin.

“Then yes, definitely.”

 

Outside, Bucky finds Steve waiting in the corner near a telephone booth, scowling at nothing in particular.

“Jeez, I was kind of hoping you’d be happier about finding your long lost friend.” Bucky pokes him in the ribs.

Steve shakes his head, as he relaxes. “Sorry, it’s just been a weird night. Didn’t go exactly as planned.”

Bucky nods as he rocks in his heels. “Really, because I wanted to ask if your previous offer was still valid.” He says with a mischievous smile and a slight rise of his eyebrows.

Steve looks lost for a second, then he catches on and his eyes grow wide. “Shit, I almost forgot about that.” He covers his face in both hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

“So that’s a no, then?”

It’s only then that Steve realises that Bucky is not joking, no, Bucky is standing way too close to him, looking right into his eyes fondly.

“Re-really? You’re…you want…?” 

Bucky licks his lips and Steve suddenly realises what is about to happen. “Like you wouldn’t imagine,” Bucky says as he steps even closer, cups Steve’s cheeks in his hand and kisses him softly. Steve holds his breath involuntarily, too lost in the kiss to remember how to breathe. Bucky’s arms wrap around his waist and pull him closer, and he in turn buries his hands in Bucky’s long hair.

Steve’s eyes flutter open when they break apart. “Oh, fuck,” he whispers.

“Yeah, let’s?”

**Author's Note:**

> Update: [I am now doing freelance fanfic writing on fiverr.](https://www.fiverr.com/emmatunjikian/write-fanfiction-of-your-liking) Hmu :)


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